gringa musings from a rooftop terrace in Oaxaca

Whose Paseo de Prado?

A week and a half ago, we were strolling Havana’s Paseo de Prado. It was a sunny, blue-sky, already hot and humid Saturday morning. Amid the backdrop of crumbling, but not abandoned, buildings, vendors had set up their stalls…

and were ready to sweet talk a tourist or two into buying a tchotchke or three or four.

Locals walked purposefully down the uncrowded promenade.

All was tranquil, save for those gathered on one of the blocks (middle of the image below) to buy and sell properties.

The scene and the people were a far cry and a world apart from the glitz and glamour of the Chanel fashion show staged along that same paseo yesterday. The average monthly wage in Cuba is the equivalent of $20 (US), thus I find the spectacle of European haute couture prancing down the Prado, in the center of Havana, deeply troubling — never mind the exploitative use of stereotypes. Here’s what local Cuban designer, Idania del Rio had to say:

“I think that catwalk is going to be more for Chanel than for Cuba. I don’t know whether the people here in Cuba are ready for this type of product.”

Nevertheless, as a fashion designer she was curious: “I want to see what $40,000 clothing looks like,” she said.

Afterwards, the 33-year-old was not entirely impressed: “It was very interesting and maybe too nostalgic. A lot of Cuban cigars, colours and hats from another era. It represented a Cuba that doesn’t interest me right now, because today’s Cuba is another, more contemporary Cuba.”

I’m glad we weren’t still there; I don’t think I could stomach the over-the-top excess versus the real need we saw around every corner. I don’t know… Does Cuba really want to return to it’s decadent pre-revolutionary role of being playground to the world’s wealthy? Trickle down economics has an abysmal track record, so I’m not sure that it’s the best model for Cuba to follow